EU: European organic logo becomes mandatory

By Katy Askew | 2 July 2012

The Euro-leaf organic logo became fully mandatory yesterday (1 July).

The principle of an umbrella logo for all European organic packaged foods was first approved in 2007 and the long-road to implementation is now at an end. All pre-packaged organic food products produced in member states must now carry the logo, Brussels said

The move is designed to provide consumers with the "confidence" that organic foods have been produced to the EU's "strict farming standards".

Show the press release

EU organic logo fully up and running from 1 July 2012
The two-year transition period for the organic food sector to comply with new EU labelling rules is reaching its end. As from 1 July 2012, the EU organic logo will be obligatory on all pre-packaged organic food products produced in EU Member States which meet the necessary standards. The logo will stay optional for non-packed and imported organic products. Other private, regional or national logos will continue to be allowed to appear alongside the EU label.
The "Euro-leaf" EU organic logo was introduced on 1 July 2010, but in order to help operators adapt to the new rules, and to avoid waste of existing packaging, a 2-year transition period was allowed before it was compulsory on all products. The visual field of the logo should also show the code number of the control body and the place of farming of the agricultural raw materials. A recent EuroBarometer report on "European Attitude towards Food Security, Food Quality and the Countryside', to be published shortly, includes information on the EU organic logo and provides the encouraging indication that, since its introduction in July 2010, the logo has already gained recognition among a quarter (24%) of EU citizens.
"Our hope is that the EU logo can further develop into a widely recognised symbol of organic food production across the EU, providing consumers with confidence that the goods are produced in-line with the strict EU organic farming standards", according to EU Commissioner for Agriculture & Rural Development Dacian Ciolos.

Original source: European Commission

Sectors: Advertising & labelling, Natural & organic